Enviromental group sounds warning on Okanagan pipeline
Local politicians should oppose FortisBC Energy’s plan to build a new natural gas pipeline near Penticton because it runs counter to efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, says an environmental group.
Utility companies “tell people that natural gas can be safe and clean and should remain as an important part of the energy supply chain, particularly in buildings, and they have an obvious vested interest in making this argument: It’s the cornerstone of their business,” said Jim Beattie, a director of First Things First Okanagan, during a presentation Thursday to the board of the Regional District of OkanaganSimilkameen.
“But the science is saying something different and we all know that. The clean, efficient energy we need is energy created by wind, water, thermal heating in the sun.”
Beattie appeared before the RDOS board to request it oppose FortisBC Energy’s Okanagan Capacity Upgrade Project, which appears to be bogged down in the B.C. Utility Commission’s approval process.
The plan calls for a new 30-kilometre gas line running mainly along existing rights-of-way between Ellis Creek in Penticton and Chute Lake north of Naramata.
FortisBC Energy states in its application to the BCUC the upgrade is required to accommodate expected population growth in the north and central Okanagan.
The company states peak demand for gas will exceed capacity by the winter of 2023-24, adding urgency to the project: “In a worst-case scenario, during cold winter days, should it become impossible to shed sufficient load through the curtailment of large interruptible service customers, core customers… in these areas may be impacted by a loss of gas supply resulting in these customers being left without gas for heat, hot water, and cooking, which could last for a few days depending on the extent of the capacity shortfall.”
Beattie, who served as the New Democrat MLA for OkanaganPenticton from 1990 to 1996, suggested FortisBC Energy and the B.C. government should instead place more emphasis on helping homeowners upgrade to heating systems that run on renewable energy, such as heat pumps.
He also noted virtually every local government in the Okanagan has a climate plan of some sort that calls for action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“First Things First Okanagan has serious concerns that the construction of new natural gas infrastructure to service growth will encourage and sustain the expansion of gas use well into the future and will significantly increase the challenge for municipalities, of which you leaders are part of, to lower emission and meet your climate targets,” said Beattie.
As for the cost of going green, Beattie acknowledged it’s not cheap to renovate older homes, but suggested that mandating things like heat pumps and electric appliances in new homes wouldn’t add much to an overall build price and would probably save money in the long run.
“The day will come when clean power is mandated by leaders like you, because we will have to reach our carbon reduction targets. And at that point, these not-so-old homes will then need to have heat pumps put in and full electric appliances,” said Beattie.
“This is another expense that can be avoided if we act now with determined leadership.”
Beattie didn’t get much support from the RDOS board, which received the presentation for information only.
Karla Kozakevich, the RDOS director for Area F (Naramata), said she installed an electric heat pump in her home 15 years ago and was so impressed by the relatively low cost of running it that she subsequently removed two wood-burning fireplaces.
Fifteen years later, though, “My bills are through the roof. It’s shocking. But the mistake is that when we lose power, I don’t have back-up heat. I’ve got nothing else,” said Kozakevich.
Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne, who also serves on the RDOS board, suggested it would be premature to turn away from natural gas without reliable renewable alternatives being available.
“When it gets to – 40 C or below, those heat pumps that everybody keeps pushing have a really hard time keeping our houses from freezing up,” said Coyne.
“I understand the issues, but at the same time, the technology and the availability for all to be able to switch over to the newest and greatest isn’t there yet.”
FortisBC Energy’s initial application to the BCUC was filed in November 2020 and contemplated starting work on the $271-million project in the first quarter of 2022 with completion in the third quarter of 2023.
However, documents posted on the BCUC website suggest the process has been bogged down by submissions from intervenors, including First Things First Okanagan and the Penticton Indian Band.
In a February 2021 letter to the BCUC, the PIB notes the “proposed activity is located within an area of high PIB interest/rights/title, is a high use and occupancy area, high current use area (especially hunting and gathering), high strength of claim area, and has high archeological potential area. As such, PIB must be an active participant in the regulatory process.”
FortisBC Energy said in a statement Thursday it is still consulting with local First Nations and others while the project remains in front of the BCUC.
“We believe our gas system has an important role to play in a lower-carbon future, through the increased use of renewable gases,” said the company.
“In the future, the Okanagan Capacity Upgrade Project – along with FortisBC’s existing gas infrastructure – will increasingly supply lower-carbon energy to Okanagan residents including renewable gas. This work is already underway today, and we are on track to reduce our customers’ emissions by 30% by 2030 and expect about 75% of the gas delivered through our lines to be renewable by 2050.
“In fact, we recently applied to have every newly constructed home connecting to our gas system automatically receive 100% renewable gas.”
FortisBC Energy doesn’t operate separate lines for renewable gas, such as the product that comes from methane captured at the Kelowna landfill, but rather uses it to displace non-renewable gas in the system.